Bhubaneswar, Sept. 23: Members of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations' of India will propose to Union minister of state for civil aviation Mahesh Sharma to connect Odisha with major destinations such as Goa, Kerala and Rajasthan.
The federation has seen overwhelming response from members of the hospitality sector from all states (more than 800 delegates) during its golden jubilee celebration. But from these three favoured destinations, only 20 participants are attending the convention.
"We will take up the issue with Sharma, who is also the minister of state (in-charge) for tourism and culture. Had there been better connectivity with these sectors, we would have more than 1,200 participants from other states," said chairman of organising committee Dilip Ray. This year, the golden jubilee convention listed 1,000 delegates in total.
Ray said: "Other sectors such as Bodhgaya and Varanasi are also potential destinations for air connectivity as they get direct international flights. Bodhgaya gets regular flights from Japan, Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, while Varanasi gets seasonal flights from Thailand and Sri Lanka."
Biju Patnaik International Airport, which operates 32 flights a day (16 take-offs and 16 landings) would shortly have two more from Fly Easy (to Bangalore) and two to New Delhi by Vistara.
"Vistara, a joint venture between the Tata Group and the Singapore International Airlines, would start its service from October 1, while Fly Easy from the ABC Airways from Bangalore would take the call on October 15," said airport director Sharad Kumar.
Kuala Lumpur-based Air Asia is also planning to have the first international flight from the city airport by mid-December.
The state lowered VAT from 20 to 5 per cent on the aviation turbine fuel only for international operators on October 30, 2013. But later, the facility was extended to the domestic and intra-state airlines operators as well.
Ray was speaking ahead of the federation's golden jubilee celebrations, which is scheduled to be held in the city between September 25 and 27. State tourism minister Ashok Chandra Panda, tourism director Anil Kumar Samal, federation president T.S. Walia and president of the Hotels and Restaurants' Association of Eastern India Suresh Poddar spoke in the event.
While the minister was hopeful that the event would lead to signing of several memoranda of understanding to build five-star hotels in suitable locations in and around Bhubaneswar, Walia said that, for the first time, the federation had chosen the temple city while many metros were also interested to host the golden jubilee event.
The tourism director said the state government would make the convention the best with various cultural and folk groups participating in it from the state.
